Online occupations relating to the hospitality and travel industries in the United Arab Emirates have risen by as much as 37% from Q3 of last year, the newest Monster Employment Index has revealed.
There has also been a rise of 21% in online hospitality hiring during the same time period.
The increase in demand for sector professionals has occurred even in spite of a 10% fall in overall hiring opportunities online with the country getting ready to welcome visitors to Expo 2020.
Around 25 million visitors are expected to come to Dubai between October 2020 and April 2021.
Expo 2020 will be the biggest such event ever to be held in the Arab world, featuring 200 participants from as many as 192 different countries.
To prepare for the arrival of so many visitors in this six-month period, hospitality facilities such as hotel rooms have been increased in order to meet the expected demand.
Enormous property developments are being built in both Dubai and Sharjah in a bid to support the amount of accommodation that will be needed for the event.
Entrepreneurs interested in building new hotels are also being offered special subsidies.
This has inevitably led to an increase in job opportunities within the sector.
The CEO of Monster.com in APAC and the Middle East, Krish Seshadri, says that it is an exciting time for hospitality industry professionals.
Seshadri adds that the event will allow the UAE to demonstrate its exceptional hospitality skills to a global audience.
However, industry professionals need to make sure that they are adhering to international best practice standards and are capable of providing consistent service levels of a very high quality during an extremely busy time.
The online hiring pattern within the UAE’s oil and gas industry also increased by 19% from the same time period in 2018, with worldwide energy demand still growing.
The only other occupation to witness the same kind of growth as in hospitality and travel was engineering and production, which increased by as much as 8% from Q3 of last year.
The rise in the middle class is resulting in more demand for energy and thus a greater need for energy sector professionals, according to Monster.com.
In the wider region, there has been a 9% decline in online recruitment in the same period.
Preparation for Expo 2020 continues apace, with nearly 500 small and medium businesses from Oman having registered to participate.
Authorities in Indonesia are also keen for their country’s presence to be felt at the Expo.
Indonesian authorities view Expo 2020 as a way to increase exports to the UAE and maybe even to the wider Middle East.
The construction of hotels, restaurants and shops in preparation for the event is also seen as a chance to send skilled workers to the UAE, particularly in the hospitality sector.
Anyone intending to travel to the UAE for Expo 2020 or any other reason will need to take out travel insurance to ensure peace of mind when they set out on their journey.
